By Rachel Kakraba and Emelda Delali Avorkah
Campus France Ghana, an agency of the French government for higher education, has organised a student’s fair in Accra, with a call on Ghanaians to seek educational opportunities available in France.
The fair was also to demystify myths and misconceptions that, without knowledge of the French language, one cannot study in France, as there are several courses taught in English in France.
The fair was also an opportunity for participants to meet directly with French schools and make contacts.
Participating French schools included Sciences Po Paris, Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Centrale Supelec, CESI écoles d’ingénieurs, EM Normandie, EM Strasbourg, IESEG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, Eklore-ed School of Management, ISTEC Business School, IMT ATLANTIQUE, Centrale Supélec, IMT Mines-Télécom Business School.
Representatives of the schools handed out brochures, answered questions and made presentations on the programmes they offer in Ghana. There was also a stand by France Volontaires where there was talk about volunteering opportunities in France.
Speaking to GBC NEWS, Administrative Assistant, Sarah Yeboah, encouraged Ghanaians to make France their preferred destination for Higher Education, because it is recognised globally for quality education.
“You should consider France for your higher education because France is recognised worldwide for the quality education, and that should be the reason why you should choose France.”
She said institutions offer courses in French to enable students to acquire basic knowledge of the language. Madam Yeboah noted that, being surrounded by Francophone countries, Ghanaian students who acquire working knowledge of the French language during their study in France have an added advantage on the job market.
“Ghana is surrounded by French-speaking countries, but for some reasons, Ghanaians don’t speak French, so if you are studying in France, it’s an opportunity to pick up the language.”
Madam Yeboah said Campus France has about 260 local offices in more than 125 countries around the world. Ghana, she said, has two of these offices in Accra and Kumasi, adding that Campus France facilitates the application processes of students to make the process less cumbersome for prospective students.
“If you want to study in France, that’s why Campus France is there to make everything easy, you don’t have to figure everything out yourself. If you don’t have experience in travelling or international stuff, we understand it can be quite overwhelming, so we can help you.”
She said studying in France, which is a country with a multi-cultural environment, comes with other packages that shape the perspective of students for life.
“There are also a lot of extra curriculum packages as France is known for its tourism, France is the most toured city in the world, and it’s also a multi -cultural environment. You meet a lot of people, so it broadens your perspective. Taking all this into consideration, I don’t see why you should not choose France for your higher education.”
A beneficiary of the Study in France programme and a member of the team, Mrs. Catherine Blavo Lotsu, stressed that learning and speaking the French language provides a lot of opportunities for students.
She said there are volunteer programmes that can help in achieving this feat. Some patrons who spoke to GBC NEWS expressed appreciation to the organisers for putting together the fair, which they said had opened them up for study opportunities in France.
France is the first non-English-speaking destination that welcomes foreign students every year. There are about 400,000 international students who travel to France for higher education every year, with 400 of the population being Ghanaians.
Campus France Ghana and alumni who have studied in France were also present with a stand each to guide participants in the admissions process and share their experiences.
